Current Employee - Software Development Project Managerin West Mifflin, PA

Recommends

Positive Outlook

No opinion of CEO

I have been working at Bettis Laboratory full-time for more than 4 years

Pros

Work-life balance is exactly as advertised. Since this is government work, you can't take your work home, nor can you talk about it even if what you're working on isn't classified. Every other Friday off and there's always someone there to help you do your job. I don't see the "good ol' boys" or lack of female management here. I currently work for 4 female managers and they are all very capable. Managers are very supportive...

Show More

Cons

Lower pay than similar career industries, but the work-life balance seems worth it (to me). Lots of nit-picky paperwork that borders on semantics.

9/80 work schedual, great vacation/sick time, good benefits, and decent starting salary.

Cons

IT takes themselves too seriously. They are very outdated and slow to move forward with just about everything. They lack culture and an environment that makes you want to come into work every day. Management pretends to care about employees opinions but when time comes for an employee feedback survey, no one wants to voice their opinions because they know nothing will change. Starting out pay is great to bring people...

Show More

Advice to Management

You pretend like you care but actually don't. Alot of what is wrong can be fixed immediately but you act as if it needs to be addressed within some pre-defined yearly plan.

I have been working at Bettis Laboratory full-time for more than 4 years

Pros

Work 9 hours a day and get every other Friday off. Pay is average for engineers, good for administration/business. Start off with 3 weeks vacation and get 4 weeks by the 3rd year.

Cons

Company culture is awful. No one talks to each other..they just hide in their cubes and stare at the clock until the day is over. Management definitely plays into that culture. They do not interact with their employees at all, and don't mentor. If a manager asks how your day is going, consider yourself lucky. Not allowed to interact with coworkers because talking might distract others. Employees seem jaded and overworked.

Leave your work at work. 9/80 schedule is nice. Training available as much as you need. Good stepping stone for those who want to fly under the radar and gain some (emphasis) experience.

Cons

You will wait an extensive amount of time to work here. (over 9 months, easily) And when you finally get there. It's....unpleasant? Terrible cafeteria food, stained carpets, old facilities and the fallout that comes with it.
Senior leadership lacks some serious vision and big picture. Stay away if you want to make a difference in the company. IT is very outdated. You will notice similar reviews as nothing has really...

Show More

Advice to Management

Remove the personal agendas and walk the hallways. That is what true leaders do. Accept that corporate politics is your only strong skill set. Resign

I have been working at Bettis Laboratory full-time for more than a year

Pros

Good pay, if you live local, easier than working downtown. Traffic is not bad. Vacation / sick time good. TSP match

Cons

If you are a women, don’t work here. It’s all about the good ole boys club. 1 women in upper management. Hard to advance if you are a women. Cell phones are not permitted. Long working hours for anyone trying to advance but it still won’t get you anywhere. Moral is very low. Too many micromanagers.

The overall purpose to support the fleet I believe is a noble cause. There is plenty of work for those who wish to make a career with the organization. Finally, there is a high level of job security.

Cons

Management is slow to change. In many ways the organization is forced to be isolated due to the nature of its existence. This has a tendency to slow process improvements.

Advice to Management

Be mindful as technology changes so do the demands and/or requirements for the individual engineer. The success of management is not how well they direct but how successful the individuals they are responsible for become. Do not allow yourselves to be disconnected with the outside world engineering demands.